Apparatus for finely dividing and drying fluid substances



July 27,1926. u 1,594,064

' J. M. MaCLACHLAN APPARATUS FOR FINELY DIVIDING AND DRYING FLUID SUBSTANCES Filed Jap. 19, 1922 2 Sheets-Sheet l July 27, 1926.' 1,594,064

JM.MMLACHLAN APPARATUS FOR FINELY DIVIDING AND DRYING FLUID SUBSTANCES Filed Jan. 19, 1922 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Patented July 27, 1926.

J JOHN M. MACIIAGELAN, OF WEST ALLIS, WISCONSIN.

APPARATUS FOR FINELY DIVIDING- AN D DRYNG FL'UH) SUBSTCES.

Application led January 19, 1922. Serial No. 530,488.

rlhis invention relates to a drying ap paratus and particularly to such an apparatus adapted to dry heavy liquid substances such as cooked cereal or ground and pulped a meat. One of the uses of the improved apparatus is to produce a dry flour-like cereal food made by drying the thoroughly cooked cereal'. While one use of the appa ratus relates particularly to oat meal, it, of course, can be used with various other cereals, such as barley, wheat, and the various products made therefrom. A thoroughly cooked cereal, after passing through 'the apparatus isin the form of a dry flour-like material which can be almost immediately prepared for eating by simply adding there- Ato boiling water.

It is an object of this invention to provide an'apparatus including a closed cabinet constructed to have. a hot drying medium passed thereinto and to provide centrifugal distributing means forfthe material to be dried at the 'top of the cabinet.

It is also an object of the invention to provide a disintegrating and scattering means in connection with the centrifugal distributer, by means of which a hotv Huid is projected against the material as such material is thrown outwardly by the centrifugal distributer in `a thin umbrella-like shower.

It is a further object of the invention to introduce the material to the centrifugal distributer through a rapidly rotating tube and to 'assist the passage of the material through said `tube by projecting a blast of fluid downwardly through the said tube.

, These and other objects and advantages of the invention lwill be fully set forth in the following description made in connec- -tion with the accompanying drawings in which like reference characters refer to the same parts throughout the different views, and in which ,A l Fig. 1 is a view in vertical section through lll the drying cabinet showing the distribut-` ing and disintegrating means in side elevation; f

Fig. 2 is a horizontal section taken on o the line 2 2 of Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a vertical central section through the distributing apparatus; .and

Fig. 4 is a fragmentary vertical section on an enlarged scale illustrating the action of the disintegrator and scattering means.

plates 7 projecting into Referring to the drawings, a dr ing cabinet comprising the walls 1 is lustrated, which cabinet is preferably cylindrical. This cabinet is of considerable hei ht and, as illustarted, is adapted to occupy t e s ace to. between several floors of a buil ing. Somewhat adjacent its top, the cabinet is provided with spaced openings 2 extending for a short distance circumferentially about the wall, which openings are provided with e5 spaced vertical shutters 3, preferably adjustably mounted to be set 4at di'erent inclinations. The lower part of the cabinet is enlarged, as shown at la and the cabinet terminates in a conical base having a central discharge outlet 4, the bottom of said base being provided with spaced lmanholes 5 1 forming means for entry into the cabinet. Adjacent one side of the cabinet, a partition 6 of semi-cylindrical shape extends down- 75 wardly substantially in alinement with the wall 1 to the base of the cabinet and in the -space between this partition and the outer wall 1a are disposed a lurality of baille' i the space from the partition and the wall l, these bale plates preferably being in staggered relation. The projecting wall 1a forms a ledge or horizontal rojection 1b in the cabinet and at a point su stantially centrally of the partition 6 an outlet conduit 8 extends upwardly from the horizontal portion .1h and is connected to and communicates with a cyclone separating device9 formed as a downwardly con verging cone having a central dischar e con; duit 10. An outlet conduit 1 1 for t e airgk or gas from the separater is also shown. This cyclone separator is of any Well known type of such apparatus and need not be further, described.

The material to be dried will be contained in a vat or other suitable means and regularly fed into a. funnel 12 secured to the upper end. of a rotary tube 13 carried in suitable bearings located and supported on the upper floor a. This tube is adapted .to be rotated at high speed and for th1s purpose, has connected thereto 'the rotor of a steam turbine 14 to which steam is supplied` through a steam pipe 15 which will be con- 105 nected with any suitable source of steam supply. The tube 13, at its botom end, carries a distributin plate 16 having thereon an upwardly projecting cone 17, the pointed end of which projects upwardly into the bottom v 'of tube 13. Secured to the lower end of the tube and surrounding the plate 16 is a disk 18 concave on its lower side. An annular shield 19 depends from a suitable bracket 'and has its lower edge somewhat shar cned and flaring outwardly above and adjacent the outer edge of the disk 18 and an annular steam pipe 20 extends 'about this yshield 19 adjacent its lower flaring edge. This pipe is provided with a large numberof small holes 21, as shown in Fig. 4, through which steam is adapted to be projected against the flaring portion of the shield 19 and thence deflected 'outwardly and downwardly about the edge of theY disk 18. Steam is supplied to the pipe 20 through the pipe 22 which will alsov be connected to any suitable source of steam supply. Another steam pipe 23 is,

llikewise connected to a steam supply and downwardly therefrom in an umbrella-like vthe material through said tube.

shower and in a thin film. It has been found in experiments that the rapidlyrotating tube 13 tends to draw air upwardly therethrough which appreciably impedes the progress of In order to overcome the tendency of the material to become clogged or sto ped, the ipe 23 is provided through whic a blast o steam is projected downwardly through said tube., This keeps the material moving therethrough in a uniform stream. The various steam pipes 15, 22 and 23, will be provided with suitable controlling valves, as shown 1n Fig. 1.

team, preferably superheated, will be ini troduced through the steam pipe 22 and this steam will issue in a multitude of small jets from the pipe 2O against the flarin edge of the shield 19 from which it will he deiected outwardly ina substantial continuous `spray or film around the edge of the disk 18. This film or showery of highly heated `steam will pass through the projected film of material and will act to efliciently scatter the same and also to break. up or disintegrate and separate the particles of such material. Heated air will be continuously in-= troduced under `suitable pressure through the o ening 3 into the cabinet. The projecte material will fall through the heated air and will berapidly dried so that by the time it reaches the bottom of the cabinet it will be in the form of a line flour-like aeeaoee powder. A rotating action resulting from the centrifugal rotating distributer and the v introduction of air into the cabinet, some of the finer material will be held lin suspension in this air current. ,The outlet for the air, as described is between the partitions 6 and the wall 1a and the air in passing outwardly encounters the baflles 7 so that some of the material carried thereby will be recipitated; The air` issuing from the ca inet passes through the conduit 8 and is preferably passed through the cyclone separator 9 where practicallyv all'o the sus ended mate- "i 3 rial is separated therefrom. T e dry material falling to the bottom of the-cabinet will be discharged through the outlet'14 andreceived in suitable barrelsfor receptacles b and the material discharged fromthewclone separator through the conduit 10 likewise, be received in similar barrels b;

an a paratus is that the materials can be drie thoroughly and rapidly in such manner as to retain their original flavor, which flavor is usually lost or so changed as to be objectionable in a slow drying 'or sun dryiig process.. This apparatus can be used for rying various substances, and while particularly adapted for drying cereals, ground Ameat ulp and other heavy liquid subtances, is a so eflicient for rother liquid or semi-liquid materials. y

It will, of course, be understood that various changes may be made in the form, arrangement and `details of construction without departin from the scope of applicants invention, w ich, generall state consists in the matter shown, descri ed, and set forth in the appended claims.

1. A drying apparatus for fluid or semiuid material comprising a cabinet ada ted to receive ya hot drying medium, a fee g conduit for said material leading into the same at the top thereof, means for centrifugally distributing the material at the lower end of said conduit, andmeans inthe upper portion of said conduit for projecting a uid downwardly into said conduit.

drying many 2. Aidrying apparatus for fluid` or semis fluid material comprising a cabinet'ada ted to receive a hot drying medium, a fee Iing conduit for. said material leading into the same at the top. thereof, means for centrifugally distributing the material at the lower end of said conduit, said means being disposed concentrically with said conduit and a steam pipe projecting downwardly into said conduit for projecting'steam thereinto and assist in the eedin l of the material.

3. AA drying apparatus aving in combination a cabinet, vinlets in the sides thereof constructed and arranged to have a hot drying medium projected therethrough, means for centrifugally spraying the materialto .be

dried in the cablnet at the upper end thereof,k means above said means for projecting fluid downwardly for disintegrating said material, said cabinet having a discharge outlet 10 at its lower end and an outlet for the drying.

medium and materialv suspended thereinat one side, above said vdischarge outlet and below said inlets and a .means for further sep-I i and material 15 with which said latter outlet communicates.

arating said drying medium In testimony whereof I alix my signature.

JOHN M. MAOLACHLAN. 

